Angels, Devils and Other Things

Written and directed by The Actors’ Gang ensemble

“Throughout the Actors’ Gang history we have always encouraged the expansion of our ensemble’s talent into other disciplines and it is my belief that this production will result in the emergence of a creative new voice and a new generation of playwrights and directors”

- Tim RobbinsArtistic Director of The Actors’ Gang

Closing out our season, this festival production of short original plays, written and directed by The Actors’ Gang ensemble, is a tour of the human landscape: habit, compulsion, anger, trauma, acceptance, chance, liberty, nature and the unnatural are some of the themes explored in the 11 plays. This is an original and unique evening displaying the multi-faceted talents of the company, a production meant to nurture and propel a new generation of playwrights and directors from within The Actors’ Gang.

Pay-What-You-Can

To make our work accesible to everyone in the community, every Thursday night is Pay-What-You-Can night. Just show up before 7:30 to get on the list.

The plays include:

“THE GARDENERS” by Adam Bennett is the story of two celestial bureaucrats fighting over the fate of a newly deceased person’s soul. The deceased man must choose between a future life of comfort or a life of productive struggle. Directed by Bob Turton

“A PERFECT WORLD” by Lynde Houck is about a codependent elderly couple retreating to an imaginary world, occupied by games and play of their own design. But as the imaginary world becomes a mundane routine, the two struggle to break free. Directed by Will McFadden

“JAMES’ PLAY” by James Bane is about one man’s battle against a dark family tradition, the Sirens call and Veteran Suicide. James leads us through his paternal suicide lineage as well as the suicide of his best friend, a fellow combat Marine, and the shared temptation of life or death. Directed by Tess Vidal

“SPECIAL POWERS” written by Guebri VanOver is a journey into the mind of a woman with supernatural powers who is struggling to resist her demons, fight guilt and shame and take the risk to trust, while embracing her gifts and telling the truth about herself for the first time. Directed by Adam J. Jefferis

“CLEAN SLATE” by Bob Turton is about a woman who wakes up to a solitary existence offering her the promise of absolute freedom of choice. However, her newly found freedom turns out to be more restrictive than her previous everyday life. Will she embrace minimalistic bliss? Or protest against a personal hell of repetition? Directed by Ethan Corn

“INTIMACY WHY” by Cady Zuckerman is an experimental examination of the complexities of intimacy, love addiction, and unhealthy relationships, a woman’s quest for reason in her dysfunctional relationship with intimacy, through the lens of Aristotle’s causes for action. Directed by Zöe Hall

“HAVE YOU EVEN DONE THIS BEFORE” written by Mashka Wolfe. A newly separated woman and a prostitute meet to spend the night together, but personal problems and unplanned interruptions soon creep into the mix. A short play about women, men, sex workers, and the entertainment industry. Directed by Bronwyn Leland Watson

“SEE BOTS CHAT” by Will McFadden is a thrilling romantic dramedy about two androids falling in love and discovering what it means to be human. Based on actual events. Directed by Jason Ryan Lovett

“FUTURIST MANIFESTO” by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti – On a late night in 1909 Italy, a group of young male friends excitedly draw up their vision of the future. It encompasses the destruction of all previous art and literature, the cleansing of humanity by use of war, and the subjugation of women. They believe these ideas will usher in a great new era of art and literature and will ride to the forefront on man-made electricity, speed and flight, influencing the beginnings of twentieth-century fascism. Each doctrine of the Manifesto is directed by one of the ten directors of the evening. Directed by the ensemble

“THE CAT PLAY” by Della Saba and Chas Harvey is the story of a man and his judgmental talking cat and their struggle to live together harmoniously while pursuing their dreams. Directed by Adam Bennett

“JUST BE WORTHY” by Dora Kiss is a nightmare look at the waiting line in heaven and what is to be expected in purgatory and hell; a world of lotteries, contests, and selfies with Jesus. Who knew purgatory had hot yoga? Directed by Pierre Adeli